


regeneration

by Molly



Category: The Ring
Genre: F/M, Yuletide, challenge:Yuletide 2005
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-12-25
Updated: 2005-12-25
Packaged: 2017-11-22 01:15:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/604200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Molly/pseuds/Molly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The curse continues through endless duplications.</p>
            </blockquote>





	regeneration

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sailorhathor](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sailorhathor/gifts).



"Don't," Evelyn said, tasting dirt and rainwater, "Don't, please don't." She _jerked_ as it pushed into her. Bled. "Please, don't."

"Someone's coming."

"Keep your eye on that road. I ain't done yet."

"Please," she said. Blades of grass stood high as a forest in her eye. Her body jerked. "Please." The forest shook. Her body jerked. Her tongue caught on a jagged edge of tooth. She tasted red.

"My turn, Johnny, come on."

"Watch the fuckin' road!"

Her body jerked. "Please," she said, "don't let it in, don't." Pushed and pushed.

He put it in her again. "Please," she whispered.

He put it in her.

  
  


* * *

  
  
**One.**  
  
 _take me to the water_  
  
"Hush, baby," Evelyn said, "hush. Shhhhh." Samara hated the water, everyone knew it. "Hush, don't cry." Samara never cried.  
  
 _take me to the water, mommy_  
  
"You'll cry, you'll wake everyone."  
  
 _you let it in, you let it in me, you let me in_  
  
"No, no. Shhhhhh. I won't let it in."  
  
 _do it, do it, mommy, the water, listen_  
  
"It's so cold, Samara, so cold."  
  
 _don't wake up, mommy, it can hear us if you wake up it can hear us if you don't stay asleep_  
  
"What is it, honey?" Water, between her toes, between her thighs, rushing up like ice, hands so cold, "What is it, why is it so c-cold--"  
  
 _you let the dead in, you let the dead in, you can't let it stay can't let it stay, can't let it stay_  
  
"Evelyn! No!"  
  
 _kill me, mommy, you have to kill me, it can't stay_  
  
"It can't _stay!_ "  
  
Evelyn shoved the women off her, pressed Samara down beneath the surface, down, down, her arms like steel, strength in every muscle and bone. Down, down till the darkness rose up  
  
 _"Stop her! Evelyn, stop! No!_  
  
over her  
  
 _"Take the child, is she breathing? Is the child breathing?"_  
  
in her  
  
 _"She's alive, she's so cold, oh, God--"_  
  
"Evelyn, can you hear me? Evelyn?"  
  
Her body jerked. Flat on the ground, eyes caught by a pale sliver of ghost-white moon. Her body jerked. She tasted water and death.  
  
 _"Your baby is alive, Evelyn, alive, can you hear me? Evelyn?"_  
  
"I'm so sorry," Evelyn said. "I woke up too soon."  
  
"Mommy," Samara said beside her, icy fingers clutching her arm like brands. Evelyn's body jerked. "I love you, Mommy."  
  
"Kill it," Evelyn whispered, "kill it, it's not her, it's not her, it's not her, kill it, you have to kill it, it can't _stay_ here, you can't _stay!_ "  
  
 _"Get them inside, and get Doctor Baker. They'll each catch their death."_  
  
"Which may be as God intends. Her eyes, the child's eyes, did you see--"  
  
"It's not what _I_ intend, and if God intends otherwise I'm sure he'll find a way to stop me. For now, fetch the doctor and some blankets, or fetch me someone who can."  
  
"I let the dead in," Evelyn said to the moon.  
  


  
  


* * *

  
  
**Two.**  
  
The tape burned, acrid plastic smoke boiling up from the embers, film melting against the logs, thin black rivers stretched between. Rachel breathed it in and choked on it, smell of brine and river water, pungent dirt, mud, mold -- Anna's little girl lost, with her pale broken skin and her nails like blades and her glazed eye, drowned and burning.  
  
 _"What did I do that he didn't?"_  
  


  
  


* * *

  
  
**Three.**  
  
 _Rachel stood in the doorway with the death of her living child glimmering in her eyes like standing water. "What did I do?" _What did I do, that he didn't?__  
  
"You let the dead in," Evelyn said.  
  


  
  


* * *

  
  
**Four.**  
  
"I made a _copy..."_  
  


  
  


* * *

  
  
**Five.**  
  
Someone, somewhere, saw Aidan's copy, and Aidan lived. Rachel's Aidan, who knew before Katie, knew before the tape, and still knew after. A copy was only a copy once, but a vessel was a vessel forever. Aidan knew it when he was awake; and when he was sleeping, he knew even more.  
  
Someone saw Aidan's copy, or maybe they didn't. Aidan didn't live because he made a copy.  
  
"I love you, Mommy," Samara said, though she wasn't really Samara, any more than she was Aidan. She took Rachel's hand in Aidan's cold, cold fingers.  
  
 _she can't stay, rachel,_ the sleeping vessel said.  
  


  
  


* * *

  
  
**Six.**  
  
"No," Vanessa said. She pushed his hand off the VCR, pushed him down onto the couch. She leaned in and kissed him, lips red and sweet as apples, eyes wide and dark. Timmy kissed her back, licked her wet, hot tongue, touched her naked breast. Her nipple was hard and thick against his fingers. He squeezed, pulled her down against his crotch and groaned into her mouth. She shoved against his dick so hard he almost shot, rubbed over him and gave him her throat.  
  
"I thought," he said into her sweat-slick skin, "I thought, you said..."  
  
"Shhh, baby," she sighed into his ear. Her breath was warm and damp; it left a chill behind. Her hands dropped to his zipper, eased it down. Her hand wrapped around him and squeezed. "Fuck me."  
  
"Here?" Timmy licked his lips and closed his eyes tight. "Now?"  
  
Vanessa guided him into deep, slick heat. "Here and now," she whispered.  
  
Timmy shoved up into her, hard, too hard, "God, I'm-- are you okay, I'm sorry, did I--"  
  
"Harder," she hissed, and took it back in, "harder, you can do it."  
  
"I don't, I'll hurt you --"  
  
"Hard as you want, come on. Do it right, for fuck's sake, keep your eyes on that road--"  
  
"What--"  
  
She slammed down, down, like a hammer, nails biting into his arms, teeth at his throat, biting, "my turn," she said, "do it, take it," and Timmy came until it hurt, until his dick burned, and she didn't stop. _"Take it," she said,_ and Timmy lay there and he took it, came again before she was through, turned inside out but came like he'd only read about. "There," she said when she was done, limp and sweaty and dark over him, "there," and Timmy stared past her, out the rainslicked window, at a narrow shard of moon.  
  


  
  


* * *

  
  
**Seven.**  
  
"I thought," Timmy said, minutes or days later, "I thought you said ... we had to make a copy."  
  
"Hush, baby," Vanessa said. Her sharp, pale teeth glittered in the dark like knives. "We just did."  
  


  
  
  
  
  


  
  


 


End file.
